Turkey's Antalya Resort Town Rocked By Car Explosion

A car parked outside the local chamber of commerce in the Mediterranean resort town of Antalya exploded on Tuesday, leaving about a dozen people injured. Cars nearby were damaged and several windows in the building were blown out. According to the Independent, Antalya Mayor Menderes Turel said that 10 to 12 people had been hurt by flying glass shards, but that none of the injuries were life-threatening. Authorities are still investigating whether the blast was a terrorist attack or an accident.

Immediately after the explosion, which occurred at around 8:50 a.m. local time, as employees were arriving for work, the perimeter was sealed in case of a second explosion. Additionally, as has been the case with previous attacks in Turkey, authorities imposed a temporary media blackout on coverage of the explosion, citing concerns over safety and public order. No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

This wouldn't be the first time the popular resort destination of Antalya was a target for terrorist activity: In August, rockets hit a commercial facility in the province and earlier this month, a similar rocket attack hit a fishing depot near Antalya. Neither incident caused any casualties and while no one claimed responsibility for them, similar attacks have been carried out in the past by Kurdish separatists and far-left militants. A U.S. State Department Travel Warning, last updated on October 24, continues to warn against travel to the country in the face of continued threats from Kurdish separatists, Islamic State extremists, as well as an ongoing state of emergency in effect since a failed coup attempt in July.

Antalya was once a popular tourist destination, but due to security concerns saw a 58.7 percent drop in visitors in June of this year compared to the same time last year, according to Hürriyet Daily News, a Turkish English-language newspaper. Besides the updated Travel Warning, the explosion also comes just days after the U.S. Consulate General Istanbul issued a warning that extremist groups continue "aggressive efforts" to attack Americans and other foreigners living in Istanbul.